The Ballad of Mallard
by penisland homeboy
Summary: Mai is the third orphan to be adopted by Bruce Wayne and she was the vigilante Mallard. She's never truly gotten over the death of Jason Todd and her relationship with Bruce is weakening. Jason Todd/ OC


After two years of dealing with an emotionally withdrawn and unstable Bruce she had finally made the decision to retire from her role as one of Gotham's saviors. She _was_ Mallard. Which sounded just about as dangerous as Robin did. The death of Jason had its toll on her. And it officially marked the end of the period that she considered "The Glory Days".

To put things lightly, she was basically in love with him.

Who was she kidding; she was head over heels for the kid.

And now he was six feet under.

Mai knew she could never actually leave the city. Every corner, every back alleyway, held a memory of Jason and she was too in love with him being so alive in her thoughts to ever rid herself of it. Even if it killed her on the inside. So, college had seemed the best option from that point and she was attending Gotham University as a film major.

This attempt at a new life would also explain why she had become so angry at the fucking asshole in the blue muscle car that had just darted into the middle of the fucking road. She was carrying expensive camera equipment on her back that was just slightly out of her price range to afford replacing. And by slightly she meant even Bruce Wayne himself would raise an eyebrow if he saw the price tag.

Luckily though, as a result of learned reflexes and years of training she managed for the sight of a Gotham highway to not be her last. She braked and turned the bike on its side so she wouldn't end up flipping over the handlebars. The black street bike had slid for a good thirty feet against pavement before it came to a stop. She herself was on her side a few feet away with her body contorted in a way so her back pack narrowly escaped harm. The helmet she wore that held a resemblance to the bride's from Kill Bill clanked on the road as she let her head fall back when the adrenaline started to fade. She spent longer than she needed to, cussing out the asshole in her head, and it wasn't until she witnessed the batwing following close behind that she felt a pang of guilt resonate.

She hadn't spoken to Bruce in 3 years, 1 month, and 3 days.

Not that she was counting or anything.

After mentally prepping herself, she peeled herself off of the road and managed to stumble her way to her bike. She felt the blood starting to seep through her pants from the slide. She assessed the damage and found only a few minor scratches on the right-hand side. Her face frowned despite this though, since it was a gift from Alfred. And she held a strong belief that she owed her life to the kind man. Even though he would never openly admit it, he was the one who convinced Bruce to take her in.

With her mind stuck in nostalgia she started her trek home once again, this time without any more surprises.

She heard a light rapping on her bedroom window. She lazily pushed herself away from her desk to draw back her blinds and find none other than Dick Grayson in his standard uniform. It wasn't that long since she last saw him, he happened to be one of the few bat-family members who kept in touch with her. Other then Barbra of course, who was her best friend. She opened the window allowing him in noticing black stains on his suit as he passed.

"Well if it isn't adult wonder." She greeted.

"Ha-ha. That's even funnier since the last 60 times you've said it." She released a sound that could only be interpreted as amusement. He glanced around the apartment checking to see if the coast is clear. Taking note of the extensive movie collection that adorned the far wall of her room.

"How's Babs?" He asked in a low voice.

"She's not here don't worry. And she could be better. You know, I really wish the two of you would just get your shit together." Mai said crossing her arms just to show how tired she was of them avoiding each other. It truly was a struggle to be good friends with the two of them.

"It's complicated. What's wrong?" Dick asked with a worried tone.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the chair with wheels attached to it that she's confined to for life that's got her down. Hell would I know though, I'm not a mind reader." Dick let out a huge sigh as she said that.

"It's been over a year, but I don't know if I'll ever make things the same with her." He let the sadness he felt creep into his expression. Mai dwelled on this and planned out her response before she said anything that would ruin things further for the two. Dick took this time to further analyze her bedroom. His eyes lingered on the box labeled "Jayson" peeking out from under the full size bed. She quickly kicked back under before he could inspect any further.

"Just seeing you lights up her eyes Dick, You need to make her realize that everything's going to be okay. The future won't be like the glory days-" Dick looked up with a pained expression "-but that doesn't mean the future won't mean the world to her." It took a few minutes but Dick finally smiled and shook his head in thanks.

They shared a comfortable silence but she could sense that this visit wasn't one for catching up.

"What're really here for Dick?" She asked in a more serious tone. Dick could see there was no point in dodging questions and cut straight to the chase.

"He strangled Joker today." Now _that_ certainly brought back memories. One of which involved her and Bruce putting him in a body cast for 6 months. A smile lightly graced her face at the image. The Joker was the one man who could pull the sadistic side out of her.

"Isn't that a normal Tuesday night for him?" She stated.

"You know how he is; he doesn't lose control like that. And there's a new guy on the block."

"The Red Hood right?" Dick nodded his head in agreement, slightly surprised Mai knew. "He has territory around here. I've actually seen him a few times." _I'm pretty sure he saw me too._ No she was positive of that. Dick stayed quiet which was quite out of character for him. Mai decided to finally fill the silence.

"Is that why you're here? So you can convince me to-"

"Mai, I know you wouldn't need much convincing." He interrupted with the same smug look that had irked her ever since the day she met him. But now, it wasn't even the look that made her so angry. It was the fact that she knew he was right.

"Debrief me."


End file.
